Cosmic eruption caught in the act by submillimeter array’s new fastest response system

On Jan. 26, 2026, the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Maunakea achieved a significant milestone in time-domain astronomy by demonstrating a new rapid-response capability to observe a gamma-ray burst (GRB) within minutes of its discovery. This marked the first time scientists captured the earliest observations of a GRB at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, with the results published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

On Jan. 26, 2026, the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Maunakea crossed an important threshold for time-domain astronomy. For the first time, scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) demonstrated a new rapid-response capability at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, zooming in on a gamma-ray burst (GRB) within minutes of its discovery and capturing the earliest observations of such an event ever made at these frequencies. The successful demonstration is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.